All good things must come to an end, especially when they are not in your hardiness zone. This final installment documents some of the more miserable-looking plants after a week of subfreezing temps with lows reaching down to 10 degrees F (-12C).
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| Just melt already!!! |
Once again, the survival scale:
1 = Dead
2 = Severely damaged and may never fully recover
3 = Severely damaged but will probably fully recover eventually
4 = Severely damaged but will probably fully recover in less than a year
5 = Moderate cosmetic (e.g. leaf) damage but no known structural damage
6 = Minor leaf/flower damage
7 = No damage
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| Melianthus major (Honey bush) = 4 (But it will quickly regrow from the roots in the spring) |
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| Hebe x andersonii 'Variegata' = 1 or 2 (It's not good when leaves turn lighter or darker after a frost - this plant did both) |
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| Lavatera × clementii 'Rosea' (Tree mallow) = 5 (Normally evergreen. Oh well) |
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| Acanthus mollis (Bear's breeches) = 4 (Maybe the seaweed look will catch on) |
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| Francoa sonchifolia = 5 (Normally this is perfectly and unsuspectingly evergreen) |
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| Rubus lineatus = 5 (The leaves are dead but the stems seem to be undamaged) |
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| Stauntonia leucantha = 7 |
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| Bignonia capreolata 'Tangerine Beauty' = 7 (Still fully evergreen...the tag says it can be semi-evergreen & hardy to -10F) |
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| Musa basjoo (Hardy banana) = 3 (They have been frozen back too far to reach their max height this year) |
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| Holboellia coriacea 'Cathedral Gem' = 6 (Bronzed foliage, otherwise looks ok) |
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| Ceanothus 'Tuxedo' = 5 (Larger leaves were dessicated but smaller leaves look ok) |
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| Cordyline australias = 1 or 2 (Dead or mostly dead) |
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| Citrus ichangensis x C. reticulata = 7 (Leaves curled a little during the frost, but now looks perfectly happy) |
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| Daphne bhoula = 3 (Time will reaveal how badly damaged it is) |
And finally...
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| Pachyphytum hookeri = ?? |
So far this pachyphytum is still alive - much to the amazement of the neighbors walking by (and me). It is in full sun, protected from rain overhead by a tree, and is in very well-draining soil. I was never really expecting it to survive the entire winter, but if it looks this good after the frost we just had, I'm beginning to think it stands a chance!
